VAN HOLMGRENFerdinand and the Liar, acrylic stencil on found wood, 2007

Originally from Des Moines, Van Holmgren is a student in graphic design at the University of Iowa. He works on found wood, painted freehand or with original stencils. His work can be seen at Artdive gallery in Des Moines in April and The House of Aromas in downtown Iowa City.

Of his work, Holmgren writes, "I would describe the goal of my art to be the resolution of conflicting emotions of life. You may see a bull that looks tough and muscular, but then you see all that is around him, and it does not reflect what you thought the bull would be like. This juxtaposition seems very dynamic to me."